Louise of Savoy (September 11, 1476 –
September 22, 1531) was the mother of Francis I of France.
Louise was born at Point d'Ain, the eldest daughter of Philip II, Duke of
Savoy (1443–1497) and his first wife, Margaret of Bourbon (1438–1483). Her
brother, Philibert II, Duke of Savoy (1480–1504), succeeded her father as ruler of the duchy and head of the
House of Savoy. He was, in turn, succeeded by their half-brother Charles III, Duke of Savoy (1486–1553).
At age twelve, Louise married Charles de Valois (1459–1496), Count of
Angoulême, on February 16, 1488 in Paris. This was
Charles' third marriage. Their first child, Marguerite, was born on
April 11, 1492; their second child, François, was born on September 12, 1494.
Louise had a keen awareness for the intricacies of politics and diplomacy, and was deeply aware of the advances of arts and
sciences in Renaissance Italy. She made certain that her children were educated in the spirit of the Italian Renaissance, also helped by her Italian confessor, Cristoforo
Numai from Forlì. When she was widowed at the young age of 19, Louise deftly maneuvered her
children into a position that would secure for each of them a promising future. She moved her family to the court of King
Louis XII, her husband's cousin. Francis became a favorite of the king, who gave him
his daughter Claude de France in marriage on 8 May
1514. With that marriage, Louis XII designated Francis as his heir. With the death of Louis XII on
1 January 1515, Francis became king of France.
On February 4, 1515, Louise was named Duchess of
Angoulême, and on April 15, 1524, Duchess of Anjou.
Her mother having been one of the sisters of last dukes of main branch of Bourbon, after the death of Susan, Duchess of Bourbon in 1521, she on basis of proximity of blood advanced claims to Duchy of Auvergne
and other possessions of the Bourbons. This lead her (supported by her son the king) in
rivalry against Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Susan's widower, whom she
proposed to marry in order to settle the Bourbon inheritance issue. When rejected by Charles,
Louise instigated efforts to undermine him, which led to Charles' exile and coming to war against France, and in 1527 death.
Louise recovered Auvergne from confiscations and became its duchess.
Louise of Savoy remained active on behalf of her son in the early years of his reign especially. During his absences, she
acted as regent on his behalf. She was the principal negotiator for the
Treaty of Cambrai between France and the Holy Roman Empire, concluded on
August 3, 1529. That treaty, called "the Ladies Peace", put an
end to the second Italian war between the head of the Valois dynasty, Francis I of France, and the head of the Habsburg
dynasty, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. The Treaty temporarily confirmed
Habsburg hegemony in Italy.
The treaty was signed by Louise of Savoy for France and her sister-in-law, Margaretha von Habsburg (Margaret of Austria), for the Holy
Roman Empire.
Louise of Savoy died on September 22, 1531, in Gretz-sur-Loing. Her remains were entombed at Saint-Denis in Paris. After her death, her lands including Auvergne merged in the crown, having come into king
Francis' possession.
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